Bill Simpich's State Secret

[Jason Ward]

On 5/2/2017 at 4:57 PM, Paul Trejo said:

Hi Bill,

...

If (and only if) David Morales was working with Guy Banister to frame LHO for a forthcoming assassination -- then we might find a linkage here -- where Jeff Caufield finds one -- the linkage between Guy Banister and General Walker.

...

Regards,
--Paul Trejo

Hi Paul,

Orlando Piedra.

He's one connection I would suggest between Morales and Banister.

Piedra is one of the dozens once high up in the Batista regime who subsequently became fashionably "anti-communist" in Miami - and therefore friendly with the CIA, anti-communist Right Wingers in general....and....Guy Banister.

Guy Banister met with Piedra several times at the Camp Street office.  Piedra has a connection to Oswald.

The custom for right wing Cubans in this era was to overstate the ease by which Castro might be overthrown and Cuba returned to glorious crony-capitalism/mafia-friendly rule like in the grand old Batista days.  This was the handiest and most reliable way for Cuban exiles to make a living without actually doing much work.  It was profitable to tell guys like Morales and Banister that you hated communism and needed just a little bit more time and money to make Castro go away.   The Bay of Pigs fiasco is the most obvious example of the "success" and salesmanship of the ex-Batista regime in Miami exile, but there were many others on a smaller scale.

Fabian Escalante has Piedra meeting with Morales, Johnny Roselli, Hemming, Artime, et al.

Piedra's Miami connection / CIA protector?   David Morales?

 

Jason

 

1. From the Mary Ferrell Foundation; snipped from Deadly Secrets (1992) by Warren Hinckle:

https://maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=10186&relPageId=295&search=orlando_piedra camp

2. Early post-assassination interest in Piedra from the FBI:

 

3. Pre-assassination interest in Piedra from the FBI (1962):

 

4. CIA post assassination document on Piedra:

 

5. From the Mary Ferrell cryptonym database AMFAST (contributed by Bill Simpich)

https://maryferrell.org/php/cryptdb.php?id=AMFAST&search=amfast

 

[Paul Trejo]

1 hour ago, Jason Ward said:

Hi Paul,

Orlando Piedra.

He's one connection I would suggest between Morales and Banister.

Piedra is one of the dozens once high up in the Batista regime who subsequently became fashionably "anti-communist" in Miami - and therefore friendly with the CIA, anti-communist Right Wingers in general....and....Guy Banister.

Guy Banister met with Piedra several times at the Camp Street office.  Piedra has a connection to Oswald.

The custom for right wing Cubans in this era was to overstate the ease by which Castro might be overthrown and Cuba returned to glorious crony-capitalism/mafia-friendly rule like in the grand old Batista days.  This was the handiest and most reliable way for Cuban exiles to make a living without actually doing much work.  It was profitable to tell guys like Morales and Banister that you hated communism and needed just a little bit more time and money to make Castro go away.   The Bay of Pigs fiasco is the most obvious example of the "success" and salesmanship of the ex-Batista regime in Miami exile, but there were many others on a smaller scale.

Fabian Escalante has Piedra meeting with Morales, Johnny Roselli, Hemming, Artime, et al.

Piedra's Miami connection / CIA protector?   David Morales?

Jason

1. From the Mary Ferrell Foundation; snipped from Deadly Secrets (1992) by Warren Hinckle:

https://maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=10186&relPageId=295&search=orlando_piedra camp

2. Early post-assassination interest in Piedra from the FBI:

3. Pre-assassination interest in Piedra from the FBI (1962):

4. CIA post assassination document on Piedra:

5. From the Mary Ferrell cryptonym database AMFAST (contributed by Bill Simpich)

https://maryferrell.org/php/cryptdb.php?id=AMFAST&search=amfast

Jason,

Very interesting.     Here's my opinion:

1. PIEDRA isn't a usual Spanish or Mexican name.   It simply means, "Rock" or "Stone".  It doesn't sound like a real name, but like an alias.

2.  If it's an alias, then the person''s ethnicity could be anything.

3.  Here is what your first attachments said:  "Mr. PIEDRA stated that he himself had never had any personal contact with LEE HARVEY OSWALD. He suggested that OSWALD had probably listed the locations of various Cuban exile stores in New Orleans as part of his activity directed against anti-CASTRO exiles."

4.   According to this, PIEDRA never met Lee Harvey Oswald.   PIEDRA presumes that Oswald was pro-CASTRO, using the word, "probably."   The story probably comes from Carlos Bringuier, since Oswald allegedly visited the store of Carlos Bringuier.   So, PIEDRA is either repeating what he heard, or deliberately lying about Oswald, since we know from Jim Garrison that Oswald's relationship with Carlos Bringuier was staged political theater.

5.  Here is what your second attachments said:  "Mr. PIEDRA...had been advised that a wife of a Cuban attorney named...CISCO,  who lives in exile in New Orleans, had received information that OSWALD had attempted to buy trucks for the government of FIDEL CASTRO."

6.  According to this, PIEDRA is clearly spreading a rumor.   "Somebody" advised him that a wife of a Cuban exile attorney said this.   This is not good information -- it's a rumor.   But it serves to accuse Oswald of being pro-Castro.   This is what the FBI wants to hear, so they keep it.   Jim Garrison amply showed this was nonsense.

7.  As for your other attachments, Jason, they make it clear that Rolando Masferrer, Carlos Quiroga and Carlos Bringuier, all agree on this mysterious person's full name -- it was ORLANDO PIEDRA.   Therefore, if it was an alias, it was a very well-known alias -- possibly a "war name" like that used by Cuban Exiles involved in actual combat.

All best,
--Paul

Edited March 5, 2018 by Paul Trejo

[Paul Brancato]

11 hours ago, Paul Trejo said:

Jason,

Very interesting.     Here's my opinion:

1. PIEDRA isn't a usual Spanish or Mexican name.   It simply means, "Rock" or "Stone".  It doesn't sound like a real name, but like an alias.

2.  If it's an alias, then the person''s ethnicity could be anything.

3.  Here is what your first attachments said:  "Mr. PIEDRA stated that he himself had never had any personal contact with LEE HARVEY OSWALD. He suggested that OSWALD had probably listed the locations of various Cuban exile stores in New Orleans as part of his activity directed against anti-CASTRO exiles."

4.   According to this, PIEDRA never met Lee Harvey Oswald.   PIEDRA presumes that Oswald was pro-CASTRO, using the word, "probably."   The story probably comes from Carlos Bringuier, since Oswald allegedly visited the store of Carlos Bringuier.   So, PIEDRA is either repeating what he heard, or deliberately lying about Oswald, since we know from Jim Garrison that Oswald's relationship with Carlos Bringuier was staged political theater.

5.  Here is what your second attachments said:  "Mr. PIEDRA...had been advised that a wife of a Cuban attorney named...CISCO,  who lives in exile in New Orleans, had received information that OSWALD had attempted to buy trucks for the government of FIDEL CASTRO."

6.  According to this, PIEDRA is clearly spreading a rumor.   "Somebody" advised him that a wife of a Cuban exile attorney said this.   This is not good information -- it's a rumor.   But it serves to accuse Oswald of being pro-Castro.   This is what the FBI wants to hear, so they keep it.   Jim Garrison amply showed this was nonsense.

7.  As for your other attachments, Jason, they make it clear that Rolando Masferrer, Carlos Quiroga and Carlos Bringuier, all agree on this mysterious person's full name -- it was ORLANDO PIEDRA.   Therefore, if it was an alias, it was a very well-known alias -- possibly a "war name" like that used by Cuban Exiles involved in actual combat.

All best,
--Paul

I don’t know Paul - ‘Stone’ is a common enough English name. 

As for the rest of your post, why not take Piedra at his quoted word rather than interpret everything to fit your theory that Oswald was a far right wing operative?

Jason - a few things in your post jump out at me. One is SpecialAgent James J. O’Connor noting that personal effects of Oswald include a listing of anti-Castro stores in New Orleans! I’ve never heard of this before. What effects is he referring to? The other is that you use Fabian Escalante as a reference. Are you aware that he claimed that George Bush and fellow Texan Jack Crichton funded Operation 40. You can read all about Crichton on this forum.

[David Boylan]

The FBI contacted Piedra to see if he knew where LHO was. Prior contact?

http://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/jfk/NARA-Oct2017/docid-32312674.pdf

 

Edited March 6, 2018 by David Boylan

[Thomas Graves]

7 minutes ago, David Boylan said:

The FBI contacted Pierda to see if he knew where LHO was. Prior contact?

http://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/jfk/NARA-Oct2017/docid-32312674.pdf

 

David,

It's Piedra or PIEDRA, not Pierda

--  Tommy 

[David Boylan]

2 minutes ago, Thomas Graves said:

David,

It's Piedra or PIEDRA, not Pierda

--  Tommy 

Thanks. I never could type. Fat fingers and all...